Fragile
by Nixi Stasia
Summary: 1/100 of the Lost In Time challenge, where I'm given one word to write a short one-shot about the pairing RiverX11. '"See? I am most definitely not fragile," River said, folding her arms. "No," the Doctor conceded in a murmur, still rubbing his swelling cheek.


_**All credit of characters, storylines mentioned etc, is owned by the BBC.**_

* * *

**AN: Hello! Decided to take up a challenge, where I write a short one-shot about the pairing RiverX11, based around one given/requested work. Hopefully, I'll do one of these every week, but there's a good chance that won't be the case. Also, the challenge is to do a 100 of these one-shots. For me, the title of the challenge is going to be called "Lost In Time". :)**

**Oneshot number: **1/100

**Word requested: **Fragile

**Requested by: **InvisibleBlade

**Timelines: **Older Doctor and older River. Post _The Angels Take Manhatten _for both of them.

**Please request a word for me to do! :) x**

* * *

Lost In Time: Fragile

River bolted down the metallic corridors of the spaceship, clutching her wounded arm to her chest, her arm wrapped around tightly at the source of the throbbing injury.

Off in the distance of the long tunnel, the outline of the TARDIS began to materialise. As the transparent silhouette of the blue box faded down and the painful, metallic thrumming echoed down the halls from where the Doctor had left the breaks on, River sprinted faster, managing to approach the wooden doors just as the TARDIS landed. Using the strength in her left arm (the arm which wasn't injured) she pushed open the TARDIS doors and burst into the bright control room.

With barely a second glance into the TARDIS' first room, River spotted the Doctor standing several metres in front of her. His brown hair was as it usually was, flopped over his forehead, covering half of his eyes that often faintly reminded River of a puppy. He leant over the metal rails which surrounding the control panel, just where they lead down to the doors, where he'd been awaiting his wife's entrance. A smirk was plastered across his face.

"Well then, Doctor Song," he said, "What have you been doing _this _time."

Wincing slightly at the pain in her arm, River managed to hide the pain in her voice with a soft chuckle, as she nonchalantly strolled further into the TARDIS and up to the control panel.

"I see you got my distress call then," River smiled in return as she approached the control panel, beginning to press several buttons (with her uninjured hand), making sure the TARDIS would take them away from the spaceship, which she was trying to escape from. "Oh, and it's _Professor_ Song to you," she added, looking up.

Nodding, the Doctor made his way up to where she stood. "The way you're going, you'll be back in that prison in no time, he said chuckling, his eye suddenly catching a splatter of red down River's wrist.

"Oh no, not with this old girl coming at my every call. I'll get away in no time- as long as you carry on answering those calls of yours," River smiled, continuing to stroll around the control panel, piloting the TARDIS. Noticing the Doctor giving her a strange look as she did so, she stopped and frowned- gritting her teeth as a sharp pain jumped through her arm, after letting both her arms fall down to her side. "What is it, dear?" she managed to ask.

The Doctor frowned further, noticing an edge in her voice, where she was trying to mask the pain. Swiftly, he made his way over to her, taking a gentle hold of her injured wrist and inspecting the damage closely. There was a small would in the flesh on the end of River's wrist, several centimetres away from her elbow, where what looked like a bullet, had been aimed, hitting her arm. He frowned further, dabbing at the blood with his fingers.

"What happened?" he asked quietly, looking back up at her.

River sighed. "Just a small incident," River replied flatly; angry at herself for not hiding her injury and angry at him for noticing. "Despite the fact they're policemen, the Judoon don't particularly care about the innocent. Well, not that I'm always innocent, but I was in this particular matter. I was trying to help them in fact. Sort of, anyway."

"How much pain are you in?" he questioned, looking at her firmly, whilst not letting go of her arm.

"Nothing I can't handle," she replied, a smudge of annoyance in her tone. "Now I'm fine, stop with the fussing! I'm not fragile or anything, am I?"

"Maybe not, but you are injured," the Doctor pointed out, "Now stay still."

"What? Why?" River frowned, "What are you going to do?"

Before she'd even finished talking, River felt a slight tingle reach down and around her arm. She recognised the feeling quickly and didn't even have to look down to know what the Doctor was doing, however, she couldn't not look. She looked down at her arm, just in time to see the last of the wound disappear in a cloud of orange, glowing dust. Regeneration energy.

She glared up at him.

"Better?" the Doctor asked, letting go off her arm and letting it fall back down to her side.

Refusing to answer, River simply scoffed.

"I'll take that as a yes," the Doctor said, before turning back to control panel.

"I can't believe I let you do that a second time," she groaned, crossing her arms- now being able to do so without any pain.

"What are you going to do- slap me again?" the Doctor cheekily questioned, looking up at her from the control panel.

Chuckling, River stepped forward and towards the Doctor. Quickly, she changed her smirk into a glare and within a second, she reached up and raised her hand and slapped him across his cheek. Wincing, the Doctor rubbed his cheek as it grew a fierce shade of red.

"See? I am most definitely _not _fragile," River said, folding her arms.

"No," the Doctor conceded in a murmur, still rubbing his swelling cheek, "You most definitely are not."

* * *

**AN: Hope you enjoyed that. I'm hoping to post one every week, but no matter how much I try, that probably won't happen. **

**To keep up on new additions to the Lost In Time challenge, you can subscribe to me on here, or follow me on twitter **( NixTheFangirl)** where I post updates. :)**

**Please leave a review, tell me what you thought, and request a word for me to do! :) **

**x**


End file.
